Trace the ways that the economy and society of the British North American colonies developed

• English settlers export raw materials; import manufactured goods

• Mercantilism—countries must get gold, silver to be self-sufficient

• Favorable balance of trade means more gold coming in than going out

• Parliament—England’s legislative body• England sees colonial sales to other countries as

economic threat• 1651 Parliament passes Navigation Acts: laws

restrict colonial trade

• Some colonists resent Navigation Acts; still smuggle goods abroad

• In 1684 King Charles revokes corporate charter; creates royal colony

• In 1685, King James creates Dominion of New England

• land from southern Maine to New Jersey united into one colony

• to make colony more obedient, Dominion placed under single ruler

• Governor Sir Edmund Andros antagonizes Puritans, merchants

• King James unpopular in England: is Catholic, disrespects Parliament

• Glorious Revolution—Parliament asserts its power over monarch, 1689

• Parliament crowns Mary (James’s daughter) and William of Orange

• Massachusetts colonists arrest Governor Andros, royal councilors

• Parliament restores separate colonial charters

• 1691 Massachusetts charter has royal governor, religious toleration

• Smuggling trials in admiralty courts with English judges, no juries

• Board of Trade has broad powers to monitor colonial trade

• England’s salutary neglect—does not enforce laws if economic loyalty

• Governor: calls, disbands assembly; appoints judges; oversees trade

• Colonial assembly influences governor because they pay his salary

• Colonists still consider themselves British but want self-government

• Fertile soil leads to growth of agriculture• Farmers specialize in cash crops grown for sale,

not personal use• Long, deep rivers allow planters to ship goods

directly to markets• Plantations produce most of what farmers need

on their property• Few cities grow: warehouses, shops not needed

• In 1700s, many German, Scots, Scots-Irish immigrants settle in South

• Southern population mostly small farmers• Planters are minority but control economy• By mid-1700s, growth in export trade makes

colonies prosperous

• Women have few legal or social rights, little formal schooling

• Most women cook, clean, garden, do farm chores• Rich and poor women must submit to husbands’

will

• Slaves—people who are considered the property of others

• English colonists increasingly unable to enslave Native Americans

• Indentured servant price rises; slaves work for life, are better investment

• 3-way triangular trade network ties colonies, Africa, West Indies:• New England exports rum to Africa• Africa exports slaves to West Indies• West Indies export sugar, molasses to New England

• Middle passage—middle leg of transatlantic trade, transports slaves

• 20% or more of Africans on ship die from disease, abuse, suicide

• 80–90% of slaves work in fields; 10–20% work in house or as artisans

• Slaves work full-time from age 12 until death• Owners beat, whip slaves considered disobedient,

disrespectful

• Africans in North America have different cultures, languages

• Slaves preserve cultural heritage: crafts, music, stories, dance

• Merchants, owners split families; slaves raise children left behind

• Slaves resist subservient position, try to escape

• 1739 Stono Rebellion—planter families killed, militia defeats slaves

• Colonists tighten slave laws, but slave rebellions continue

• Cold winters, rocky soil restrict New Englanders to small farms

• Middle colonies raise livestock, crops; export surplus

• Diverse commercial economy develops in New England, middle colonies

• By mid-1700s, merchants are powerful group in North

• Growth in trade leads to large port cities like New York, Boston

• Philadelphia second largest city in British empire; has urban plan

• 1700s, large influx of immigrants: Germans, Scots-Irish, Dutch, Jews

• Immigrants encounter prejudice, clash with frontier Native Americans

• Less slavery in North than in South; prejudice still exists

• Slaves have some legal rights, but highly restricted

• Women have extensive work responsibilities but few legal rights

• Only single women, widows can own businesses• Wives must submit to husbands

• For centuries philosophers used reason, science to explain world

• Enlightenment—movement in 1700s emphasizing reason, observation

• Enlightenment ideas spread quickly through books, pamphlets

• Benjamin Franklin embraces Enlightenment ideas

• Other colonial leaders also adopt Enlightenment views

• Puritans lose grip on Massachusetts society, membership declines

• Jonathan Edwards preaches people are sinful, must seek God’s mercy

• Great Awakening—religious revival of the 1730s and 1740s

• Native Americans, African Americans, colonists join new churches

• Interest in learning increases; Protestants found colleges

• Both movements question authority, stress individual’s importance